Apparatus for cutting and creasing cardboard



T. D; BISHOP APPARATUS FOR cu'rrme AND cnmsme CARDBOARD Filed June 15, 1966 May 13, 1969 l or 8 Sheet 44 (PRIOR ART) i -'3, 1969 T. D. BISHOP 3,443,490

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND CREASING CARDBOARD .Fued June' 13'. 1966 A Sheet May 13, 1969 I 1' in. BISHOP 3,

APPARATUS FOR CUTTIING AND CREAS ING CARDBOARD Filed June is. 1966 4 Sheet 01 s May 13, 1969 T. D. BISHOP 3,443,490

APPARATUS FOR cu'mne imn CREASING CARDBOARD 5 Sheet Filed June 13. 1966 3,443,490 APPARATUSFOR CUTTING'AND CREASING CARDBOARD Filed June 13 I956 l T. D. BISHQP May 13, 1959" Sheet May 13, 1969 I A 2 TD. BISHOP v 3,443,490 I APPARATUS FOR CUTTING-AND CREAS ING CARDBOARD Fil ed June 15. 1966 sheet' 7 of 8 JZTU 13515 iled June 13, 19 $6 T. D. BISHOP 3, 4 APPARATUS FOR cuflme m CREASIHG CARDBOARD Sheet 8 of 8 United States Patent 3,443,490 APPARATUS) FOR CUTTING AND CREASING CARDBOARD Thomas Desmond Bishop, Solihull, England, assignor to The Deritend Engineering Company Limited, Birmingham, England, a British company Filed June 13, 1966, Ser. No. 557,093 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 15, 1965, 25,326/ 65 Int. Cl. B3111 1/22 U.S. Cl. 93-582 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for slotting and creasing blanks, which includes first and second pairs of rolls arranged to operate successively on each blank, and in which each pair of rolls is provided with (a) one set consisting of two complementary creasing tools, one tool of the set being mounted on the surface of each roll and extending parallel to the axis of the roll, (b) at least one set consisting of two complementary slotting tools, one tool of each set being mounted on the surface of each roll and lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the roll, and (c) at least one set consisting of two complementary drive bands, one drive band of each such set being mounted on the surface of each roll and extending from one side of the creasing tool around the roll to the other side of the creasing tool, the slotting tools being adjustable circumferentially relative to the creasing tool and drive bands on each roll to vary the spacing of the two creases produced by the two pairs of rolls on each blank.

Background of the invention This invention relates to apparatus for the cutting and creasing of cardboard and like materials particularly in the manufacture of blanks for subsequent erection into boxes.

A typical cardboard box blank is illustrated in FIG- URE l of the accompanying drawing and comprises portions 20-24 which are all substantially rectangular and are integral and which form four sides of the box and the bottom, i.e. a central rectangular base and four flaps e'ach forming one side of the box, together with four further flaps 25-28 which connect the sides at the box corners. This involves the production of two transverse creases 29, 30 and two longitudinal creases 31, 32 and slots 33 which are continuations of or parallel to the latter one set of creases and terminate on the other set of creases and which form the edges of the flaps.

It is customary for the purposes of manufacturing box blanks to link a bar-bender for example as illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURE 2 (i.e. a pair of rolls 40 carrying on one roll a pair of creasing tools 41 extending along the roll and adjustable therea-bout and carrying complementary and likewise adjustable tools 42 on the other roll) with a slotter (e.g. a second pair of rolls 43 carrying a number of pairs of cutting knives 44, the knives of each pair being relatively adjustable to adjust the length of the slot, and the knives being adjustable also lengthwise of the roll to vary the slot spacing in one direction and being adjustable about the roll for the same purpose in the other direction). It has been proposed in our prior US. Patent No. 3,111,067 (and the proposal practised successfully) to link the bar-bender and slotter by a mechanism which allows the crease positions to be altered relative to each blank 45 and simultaneously adjusts the slotter knives so that after an initial setting up the slots always terminate on the one set of creases so that the flaps are truly cut. Such combination only produces one set of creases and all of the slots, and therefore conventionally a separate rotary creaser is used to make the longitudinal creases.

One of the disadvantages of the known apparatus is that, of necessity the bar-bender and slotter tools project from the respective roll surfaces, so that the blanks are gripped by the tools but not elsewhere. This would tend to lead to inaccuracies through blanks warping etc. and also slipping. It is therefore customary to apply pads or blanks of packing material to the rolls to take up the gap so that the blank is gripped and positively driven throughout its passage through the apparatus. However, the pads have to be replaced by shorter or longer pads according to requirements when some adjustments are made,

One of the objects of the invention is to overcome this disadvantage and provide means to grip the blank without adjustment when the bend spacing is varied.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus whereby the separate rotary creaser may be coupled for adjustment synchronously with the barbender/slotter combination thereby simplifying setting-up and adjustment.

Summary of the invention In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a bar-bender/slotter combination is characterised by the provision of one bar-bender set on each of two coupled roll pairs and one or more pairs of slotter tools on each roll pair.

Hence, as shown in the diagrammatic illustration of the apparatus according to the invention shown in FIG- URE 3, in which like reference numerals are used to those in FIGURE 2, when the spacing of the slots along the roll is constant, each roll may be wrapped by a single pad 50 of constant length which extends from one side of the bar-bend tool 41, 42 about the roll to the other side of that tool, and adjustment of the position of that bar-bend tool relative to the one on the other roll pair will not alter the pad length so that the pad may remain and provide constant drive to the blank. When the slotter positions are varied the pads will need adjustment axially along the roll only and in a practical embodiment the pads are carried on sleeves to slide on the roll during adjustment. FIGURE 3 shows each roll wrapped as aforesaid, but it may be preferred to provide encircling rings of pads of rubber or other hard or yielding driving material on the rolls carrying the male bar-bend tools, and use steel rings on the roll carrying the female tools.

Another unexpected advantage of this arrangement is that for a given roll diameter larger blanks can be made than is the case if the bar bending is carried out on one roll pair and the slotting entirely on the other roll pair.

The position of the bar-bend tools angularly of the rolls and in relation to one another may be varied by interconnecting the two tools of each pair by gears whereby the two tools are varied synchronously so that mesh is maintained, and the two pairs may be varied by a running register arrangement using gears which are normally held relative to one another but which can be released to turn (or vice versa) for such adjustment.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, apparatus for the purpose specified comprises two roll pairs namely first and second pairs each having one or more pairs of slotter tools which are adjustable along the roll length, and a separate rotary creaser tool having a plurality of creasing tool sets likewise adjustable along an axis, all of said tools being coupled to be simultaneously and synchronously adjustable to maintain the slots in line with the creases formed thereby.

It will be appreciated that in a container, for example as shown in the accompanying FIGURE 4, which shows a blank for a closed box having parallel panels 60 forming its sides, and its lid and base formed from flaps 61, a

different number of transverse and longitudinal creases 62 made by bar bends and rotary creaser and slots 63 etc. are required, but the invention is still applicable.

Brief description of the drawings 'FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a cardboard box blank which may be produced by an apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of two pairs of rolls showing the conventional arrangement of creasing and slotting tools.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention, showing how the arrangement of creasing and slotting tools differs from the conventional arrangement shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of another cardboard box blank which can be produced by an apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIGURES 5, 5a, and 5b are an elevation, partly in section, showing the drive to one roll and also to the slotting tool thereon.

FIGURE 6 is an end view also partly in section, showing the two rolls of one pair and their relationship.

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the interconnections.

FIGURE 8 is a section showing the slotters engaged.

Referring first to FIGURE 5, the roll shaft 100' is driven from a main gear 101 which is normally clutched to a plate 102 by a cone arrangement 103 carrying an internal gear 104 meshed with pinion 105 whereby, after easing the clutch via bolt 106 the pinion may be hand rotated to vary the position of shaft 100. Located on shaft 100 and in a dovetail rebate in the same are housings 107 carrying one or more parallel spindles 110 bushed therein and which serve to carry the slotter heads generally indicated at 111 to rotate the heads with shaft 100. Each spindle is screw threaded and the spindles 110 are connected by an epicyclic gear set seen at the right hand side of FIGURE 5.

The gear set com-prises a (usually) stationary sun pinion 112 carried in bearings 113 by an end plate forming part of the stationary machine structure, and meshed with individual planet pinions 114 carried by a main drive gear 115. The planets are meshed with annulus gear 116 which also has a gear ring meshing with wheels 117 on the individual spindles 110. Annulus gear 116 further carries an external gear ring 11 8 and the sun is splined or keyed to a gear wheel 119 and both the ring 118 and wheel 119 will be further described hereafter.

Associated with wheel 119 is a pinion (not shown) constantly meshed with wheel 119 to drive the latter selectively when needed, for example by a motor (not shown). The motor incorporates a brake and for convenience the wheel 119 of one roll of each pair may be meshed with the not shown pinion, and this arrangement ensures that wheels 119 which form part of the inching gearing are held fixed when adjustment is not wanted, and are moved in synchronism when needed.

Gear 115 transmits drive from the same source which drives gear 101 so that normally the slotter head carrying spindles remain individually stationary and only move with shaft 100 about the axis of the latter and at the same speed as the latter and do not individually rotate.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, all of shafts 100 are seen to carry pairs of spindles 110 so that if and when rotated, by ring 118, the slotter heads may be moved along the shafts to move the slots, transversely of the blank. It will be appreciated that a plurality of heads may be provided, ones of which are hushed on one spindle and have for example left hand threads engaging with another, left hand threaded spindle 110 and others may have right hand threads to engage with a right hand threaded spindle (being bushed on the left hand threaded spindle) so that the transverse spacing may be varied when all of the spindles are rotated in the same sense.

The slotter knives are indicated at 125.

Encircling each shaft at each end is a ring 130 journalled on the shaft and the two rings on each shaft carry the bar-bend tools 131, 1'32 secured thereto by bolts 133, so that the tools extend along the length of the shaft angularly spaced from the slotter knives. It will be appreciated that a plurality of bar-bend tools could be provided on the rolls. The rings are fast with respective gears 134 (see FIGURE 5) which are immediately adjacent gears 135 fast with shaft 100.

The female bar-bend tools 132 are located, at intervals along their length, in slots or gaps in driving rings which encircle the shaft 100 and are arranged immediately adjacent the female slotter knives, see FIGURE 8 so as to slide on the shaft with the slotters when the latter are adjusted therealong.

The male bar-bender tools 131 similarly carry driving rings 142 which include a peripheral dovetailed rubber or like band, and the blanks, when fed through the roll nips are continuously driven by these bands and rings 140, 142 and any adjustment of the bar-bender and slotters does not affect this drive of the blanks.

Referring now to FIGURE 7, this illustrates diagrammatically the drive adjustment connections between barbenders and slotters which enable the slot cut by the knives on one roll pair to be precisely positioned to terminate on the crease made by the bar bend tools on the other roll pair, and vice versa, even when one pair of bar bend tools are moved angularly relative to the rolls, by moving the associated slotters on the other rolls by a like amount.

FIGURE 7 shows the bar bend tools, diagrammatically, indicated by the reference numerals 131a and 131b differentiated by the letters a and b to indicate the rolls concerned, FIGURE 7 shows, by Way of example, the connections between the top rolls of the two roll pairs. Similar connections are used between the lower rolls of the pairs. Moreover, the drive from the bar bend tool on one roll to the slotter which cooperates therewith on the next roll is the same as that between the slotter on the said one roll and the bar-bend tool which cooperates therewith on the said next roll.

Gears 134a mesh with intermediate pinions fast with a layshaft 151 to transmit drive to gears 135b on the next roll, so that normally gears 135b on one roll and gears 134a on the next roll rotate together and at the same speed so that the mesh between the bar bender driven by gears 134a and the slotter and shaft driven together via 135b is maintained. Each pinion 150 has a second part 152 splined to the same layshaft 151 to take the drive between the axially spaced gears in question. This drive is indicated by the heavy arrowed line 160. This drive is duplicated at each end of the layshaft.

Between the parts of pinion 150, 152 is a third pinion 155 rotatable on the layshaft 151 which serves to transmit drive from gears 135a which are fast wit-h rolls 100 and hence with the slotters to gears 134i fast with the bar bend tools. This drive is shown by the heavy arrowed line 161.

It will be noted that the positions of gears 134 and 135 vary axially of the respective shafts to enable these connections to be made.

Variation of the position of the bar bender tools and slotters, angularly of the rolls, to vary the dimension of the blank to be creased and slotted whilst maintaining registration of creases and slots, is effected by easing the cone clutch 103 by means of the bolt 106 and rotating the pinion 105 by hand as hereinbefore described, so that shaft 100 turns in rings 130 and alters the relationship between the slotter and bar benders on the first roll pair, i.e. between gears 134 and 135 on such one shaft, whilst the resultant drive connection between the rolls (arrowed lines 160, 161) causes the corresponding bar bend tools and slotters on the next roll pair to move by corresponding amounts. In order to permit the position of the shaft 100 to be varied by manual rotation of the pinion 105, it is necessary that the drive to the gear 115 at the other end of the shaft be declutched. When the adjustment is made in this way, the shaft 100 and slotters of the first roll pair are moved angularly, and the rings 130 and bar benders on the other roll pair are moved angularly by an equal amount, while the other parts remain stationary. Another and more convenient method of adjustment consists in releasing the said cone clutch arrangement 103 by loosening the bolt 106, while leaving the gears 115 clutched to the drive, on the driven roll of each roll pair. Then while the shaft 100 of the driven roll of each roll pair is thus declutched from its driving gear 101, the gear wheel 119 which is provided on one roll of each roll pair is driven by a motor driven pinion (not shown) which is in mesh with the gear wheel 119 that is provided on one roll of each pair. This causes the annulus gears 116 to be driven through the planet pinions 114. Since the shafts 100 are now free from the main driving gears 101, the driving of the gear wheels 119 will not cause the pinions 117 and shafts 110 to rotate individually, but instead will move the shafts 100 bodily, thus adjusting the angular positions of the slotting tools carried by the shafts. In this way, the angular positions of the slotting tools on all four rolls are adjusted simultaneously, while at the same time the angular positions of the bar bend tools on all four rolls are adjusted correspondingly through the drive connections 160 and 161 illustrated in FIGURE 7. It will be appreciated by reference to FIGURE 3 that when the bar bend tools on the first roll pair (the left hand one in that figure) are thus advanced to move the firs-t crease nearer the centre of the blank, those on the second roll pair are retarded, move the second crease an equal amount nearer the centre of the blank, and the slotters are moved in the same way so that each slot terminates on the appropriate crease.

An independent adjustment may be provided in the drive between the source and gears 115 for use only in setting up to obtain perfect registration on the first occasion, and all subsequent adjustments for blank length, bar bend spacing and slot spacing transverse of the blanks will be made with uniformly accurate registration quite automatically.

The rotary creaser, not illustrated, may have creasing tools carried and driven substantially similarly to the slotters and supported on screw-threaded spindles in the same way as the slotters and the spindles may be driven by gears meshed with the gear rings 118 to maintain the creases formed by the creasing tools in line with the slots, and this adjustment Will then be effected automatically. Preferably the upper roll of one set and the lower roll of the next are provided with epicyclic gear sets each including a gear wheel 19 coupled to the motorised inching pinion, and each thus coupled roll is connected to the next roll on the same level by the FIGURE 7 arrangement.

The apparatus may be set up so that the first and last creases on each blank are made in the first and second pairs of rolls respectively, or vice versa.

Moreover, whilst the described arrangements use epicyclic sets in which various members are held stationary or rotate at shaft speed, it is possible, and for practical reasons it may be necessary to use differential speeded parts and use input speed increments on the reaction members to restore the speeds to synchronism.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for slotting and creasing blanks, comprising first and second pairs of rolls arranged to operate successively on each blank, characterized in that each of said two pairs of rolls is provided with (a) one set consisting of two complementary creasing tools, one tool of the set being mounted on the surface of each roll and extending parallel to the axis of the roll, (b) at least one set consisting of two complementary slotting tools, one tool of each such set being mounted on the surface of each roll, and lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the roll, and (c) at least one set consisting of two complementary drive bands, one drive band of each such set being mounted on the surface of each roll and extending from one side of the creasing tool around the roll to the other side of the creasing tool, the slotting tools being adjustable circumferentially relative to the creasing tool and drive bands on each roll to vary the spacing of the two creases produced by the two pairs of rolls on each blank.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the adjustments of the slotting tools and creasing tools on the two rolls of each pair are synchronized to maintain each set of complementary tools in registry, and the adjustment of the slotting tools on one pair of rolls is synchronized with the adjustment of the creasing tools on the other pair of rolls to maintain the end-s of the slots on each blank in registry with the two creases when the spacing of the two creases is varied.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slotting tools are adjustable axially of each roll by threaded shafts which are driven by the output member of an epicyclic gear set having a normally stationary reaction member which, when driven, rotates the output member relative to the roll to rotate the threaded shafts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,291,789 8/1942 Be'hrens 93-l 3,059,552 10/1962 Easter 9358.2 3,111,067 ill/1963 Bishop 9358.2 3,257,882 6/1966 Lulie 9358.2 X 3,299,801 1/1967 Bishop 9358.2 X 3,304,193 2/1967 Dollheimer 9358.2 X 3,308,723 3/1967 Bergh 9358 3,314,340 4/1967 Bishop 9358.2

WAYNE A. MORSE JR., Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 93--1 

